Sports for People and Planet

The global sports economy is projected to reach $8.8 trillion by 2050, but this growth is threatened by a 'negative feedback loop' where environmental degradation and rising physical inactivity could cost the sector $1.6 trillion annually by mid-century. The report identifies four primary growth drivers: the acceleration of sports tourism, the emergence of sport as an asset class, the mainstreaming of women's sport, and growth in emerging economies. To mitigate risks, it proposes three pathways: championing resource stewardship (water and circularity), integrating sport into sustainable urban design, and catalysing purpose-driven capital flows through strategic sponsorships and blended finance.

• The global sports economy is experiencing rapid growth, with total revenues of $2.3 trillion in 2025 projected to reach $3.7 trillion by 2030 and $8.8 trillion by 2050, reflecting a 10% compound annual growth rate over the next five years.
• Converging health and environmental risks, specifically physical inactivity, climate change, and nature loss, could result in annual revenue losses of $517 billion (14%) by 2030 and $1.6 trillion (18%) by 2050.
• Sports tourism is the fastest-growing segment of the global tourism industry, accounting for 10% of global travel expenditure in 2025 and expected to drive 60% of total sports economy revenue growth until 2030.
• The sports sector is a significant environmental contributor, with core industries generating 400–450 million tonnes of CO2e annually, primarily from energy-intensive venues, travel, and carbon-intensive supply chains.
• Physical inactivity acts as a structural brake on growth; global inactivity rates rose from 26% in 2010 to 31% in 2022 and may reach 35% by 2030, potentially reducing the active population by 800 million people.
• Professional sport's revenue is highly vulnerable to environmental disruption, as over 90% of media rights and 76% of sponsorship revenues are linked to outdoor activities.
• Water scarcity poses a critical risk to the sporting goods industry, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region which handles 80% of manufacturing; by 2030, global fresh water demand is expected to exceed supply by 40%.
• Circular business models can significantly reduce the sector's footprint, with the potential to decrease emissions from the production of plastic, aluminium, cement, and steel by up to 40%.
• Urban design significantly impacts public health, with disparities in city planning potentially causing differences in daily physical activity of up to 90 minutes between neighbourhoods.
• Strategic, purpose-led sponsorships are becoming a competitive advantage, with 81% of consumers viewing sport sponsorship as credible and 84% of sponsors citing social responsibility as a key factor in consumer perception.

APA

World Economic Forum (2026). Sports for People and Planet. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Sports_for_People_and_Planet_2026.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Sports for People and Planet. 2026. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Sports_for_People_and_Planet_2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Sports for People and Planet |date=January 2026 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Sports_for_People_and_Planet_2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2026sports, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Sports for People and Planet}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Sports_for_People_and_Planet_2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }